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Global Issues

Students Promote International Health

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In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 41, and 14 percent of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS. Resolving this crisis is one goal of Pitt’s Student Leaders in International Medicine (SLIM).

Led by Pitt professor Thuy Bui, SLIM educates both students and vulnerable populations about increasing access to medicine, health care, clean water, and proper nutrition. Students from all majors participate, learning about foreign aid and development work and conducting research. Through SLIM's Project Malawi, some students help Malawians improve their country's community health outreach, education, and orphan care.

Students in SLIM not only gain experience abroad but also learn how to help vulnerable populations when they go. For example, doctoral student Gerry Douglas received a Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED) fellowship for his work with Baobab Health, a nonprofit organization he founded in Malawi with his wife, Bui.

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